[redoak]

I am seriously considering buying a HP Pavilion laptop, model DV9207US. If it is good enough for JohnWill, I figure it will be fine for me! I need a new computer because the one I had been using "went belly up." I am posting from a backup machine.

My first question is will I be able to also load my already owned "XP Pro" OS from the CD I bought from M$ along with "Vista" that will come with the computer? I have Partition Magic and have used it, so I expect to be able to create the necessary partition, along with others for my data files and a Linux OS. Second, in what order should the OS be? I know Linux should be last. Will I need a program like "Grub" to select the OS I want after booting up?

When I start to install programs, will I install them twice, once with the "VISTA" OS and also with the "XP" OS? In the past I have had them installed with the OS. Perhaps this is a time when programs should go in a separate partition. Please advise.

Your further advice will be welcomed.

{redoak}

[ScottProdigy]

Be careful, because XP should be on the system first, then Vista in order for the Vista bootloader to work properly. I have, however, successfully installed XP on a separate partition after having Vista as the primary OS. Typically, after installing XP to another partition, your PC will not give you a choice of OS to boot from, and will boot directly into XP. (The Vista bootloader is wiped out by the XP install.) Should Vista not boot after loading XP, you can restore the Vista bootloader by booting your Vista DVD and selecting "repair" and then "command prompt". The following commands will fix the bootloader:

navigate to the "boot" folder on your DVD and type the following:

bootrec /rebuildbcd
bootrec /fixboot
bootrec /fixmbr

(bootrec /help of course if you need to know what these functions do.)

Of course, the problem is, most laptops these days do not come with a full version of the OS disc. HP most likely has a hidden partition for their recovery program, which has a factory image of the Vista OS and the applications and drivers for your laptop. You will have to burn these discs first BEFORE you attempt to do anything. I would assume that once you play around with the Vista bootloader or Partition Magic, access to the HP recovery partition on bootup will be lost. (This is why it is important to burn the recovery discs, otherwise, you might have to buy them. Also, the recovery discs do not have the bootable environment for the Vista bootloader repairs that I mention above.)

Should you be successful in installing XP and then restoring the Vista bootloader, your machine will now just boot into Vista, and it looks like XP is missing (the exact opposite of what you were just experiencing with the XP install.) This is where you can use a program such as EasyBCD (http://neosmart.net/dl.php?id=1) to create custom entries in the Vista bootloader for Vista, XP, and any other OS you plan to install (such as Linux.) See the EasyBCD site for more details and screenshots. It should be noted that EasyBCD will only run in Vista, for obvious reasons. :-)

[redoak]

Scott: Thanks for your response and the info. I will do as you advise.

{redoak}

[ScottProdigy]

No problem. Like I said, as long as you make those recovery discs, even if you aren't successful in getting a dual-boot system, you will have the ability to go back to the factory settings. Those recovery discs will actually restore the recovery partition and Vista, as well as the MBR so that you can hit F10 (or is it F11) to run the automated recovery option you see on bootup. Best of luck!